Bennie I. Osburn

Bennie I. Osburn, dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, has focused his scientific career on the health and welfare of food animals, studying several important diseases of cattle and sheep. He has been involved in key discoveries about food animal viruses, developmental immunology and congenital infections. He has also been involved with the newest biotechnology approaches for the prevention of illness in farm animals.

Dr. Osburn is a member of several national and international scientific associations and has chaired numerous professional committees, conferences and symposia. His professional activities aim to protect humans from illnesses transmitted by animals, food or water.

During Dr. Osburn’s tenure as AAVMC President, a strategic plan was undertaken to address the veterinary workforce needs by launching a legislative initiative, the Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act, which will provide a competitive grants program to build infrastructure dedicated to increasing human resource capacity in veterinary public practice.

Dr. Osburn continues to broaden the School’s role in animal, human and environmental health issues. Under his guidance, the School has established centers of excellence in comparative medicine, vectorborne disease, wildlife health, equine analytical chemistry and other programs. He promotes comprehensive veterinary training programs to support veterinary students interested in research and academic careers. He helped institute a DVM/Phd program for veterinary students, a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree program, the Student Training Advanced Research (STAR) summer program, and an endowed Graduate Student Support Program (GSSP). He has increased the number of DVM students and residents and developed K-12 outreach activities to encourage the next generation of veterinarians. Dr. Osburn was instrumental in the establishment of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, the UC Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego and the Sea Doc Society on Orcas Island, Washington. He has worked diligently on the School’s $354 million building initiative, participated in the School’s fundraising efforts which have raised more than $130 million in private support, and increased the annual research budget 100% to $60 million.